Succession
by GuiltyXsworD14
Summary: Cadis Etrama di Raizel wonders to a mansion he had never once seen. His two hundred years of living as a normal noble seems to be causing him some 'elegantly-rebellious' characteristics. He meets the previous Noblesse that seems to change him to the Raizel we all know.
1. Primitus

**AN**: Hi fellow Noblesse fans. I actually wrote this fanfic from a little dream of mine. It actually got me thinking 'What if Raizel was young and didn't have the power of noblesse at start?' Well, for some, the idea may suck but I guess we have our own thoughts. Hope you guys enjoy though. =) (and sorry in advance for the bad story writing)

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Lukdonia was big. Ninety percent of it was covered in forestry while the remaining was for the mansions of the clan leaders. In that ninety percent of forestry, a young noble with black hair was running in full speed.

"Raizel!" A hooded noble shouted. "You dare run away from education!" It was coming from a mansion.

The addressee was silent although he heard the yelling from afar. 'I believe I had enough education in 200 years.' He continued running and skidding the bushes that were on the way. It was aimless. He doesn't know where he was going or how much longer until he reaches the coast of Lukedonia.

His running led to somewhere. A mansion that was in the dark. The moon was against it and the gates implied no entry. 'Maybe I can hide here?'

The mischievous noble walked, reaching the entrance and the inside. The mansion made Raizel's eyes widen. It was inspiringly large. Even larger than the ones he'd seen so far.

The chandelier in the middle of the room dangled as it was caressed by the wind. Two staircases leading to the middle of the upper floor was noticeable. Many doors anticipated the uninvited guest like it was to mislead them.

'No one's here.' His perception suggested.

It was barren. The silence only lingered throughout. Nothing hinted life. Not even the many doors Raizel opened thus far.

The first door he opened was filled with bookshelves that didn't suggest any usage. The second was a room with a well-designed body mirror and wooden desk. The third was a wardrobe complete with a set of black long coats and white long-sleeved and ruffled shirts. How the clothes were put into order left Raizel a little bit impressed.

He unveiled more rooms that had nothing in it. There really was no one there. A vacated building was a perfect spot for hiding but it was creepy and unsophisticated at the same time.

The final door was in front of him. 'Is this place really-' The door made no resistance as it opened. 'Abandoned…?'

The wind was strong and the humidity was relaxing. It was a nice room to let out some steam. All those air came from a single window. There was a man leaning on the edge of it, staring at the endless land.

Raizel's presence made the stranger look, or rather shift, towards the door. The stranger didn't glare nor stare. He just shifted his body and tilted his blind-folded eye like he can actually 'see' the one who entered.

The awkward absence of sound felt like it would go on forever. No one wanted to speak.

"You seem to be lost, young noble." Another man spoke.

Raizel flinched and jumped forward rather than back. The man speaking was behind him. 'I didn't sense his presence.' For now, he was on defensive.

They were glaring at each other, eye to eye. Raizel having scarlet eyes, just like any other noble, while the other had an emerald-hue.

Their gazes were wrong in so many levels. It's as if an albino man in his 20's was aggressively looking down on a 10 year old kid.

"You…..you're human." Raizel stood as he gained composure.

The butler-suited man just looked. "Master." He ignored Raizel's statement. It wasn't a question anyways. "Is this young one a guest?"

The man moved to his previous position as his blind-fold swayed with the wind. "Probably."

The servant resisted the urge to sigh. He bowed and took a step backwards respecting his master's answer. "Then I shall prepare some tea." He reached the door knob for an exit.

"Faust." At the mention of his name, the butler halted. "What is it, master?"

The-said master took his time thinking for 3 seconds. "Earl Grey would be nice."

A smile escaped Faust's lips. He knew that his master would choose that classic tea. "Most certainly."

With that, Faust went out of the room without an ounce of worry for leaving his master to a total stranger.

Raizel doesn't know what he will do or can do. At first he surveyed the surroundings thinking that it was a first step. Two sets of bookshelves on the left. Two sofas and one coffee table in the middle to the right. A typical European-style living room.

He caught nothing out of the ordinary with exception to the man staring from the window. He stared nonchalantly on the blond-spiky haired man. He was puzzled by him. He looks at the horizon like he can actually 'see' with a blind-fold. He accepted him in the mansion as a 'guest' even though he was supposed to be an intruder. And now, as he stares at him, he seems to be the loneliest person he'd seen in his 200 years of living as a noble. It wasn't pity that he was feeling but something rather similar.

"Feel free to use this mansion as sanctuary." Out of nowhere, the master spoke like he talked to the breeze.

A moment of surprise came for Raizel. 'He knew?' The seconds pass as he took the shock. 'No. This is...'

"Mind reading?" From within, Raizel disagreed with his statement thinking that it is impossible, or rather, rare and rude all at the same time.

The man in question didn't even shrug but instead tilted his head upwards to 'see' the vast sky. "What is your name?"

Raizel raised a brow. Now that came out of nowhere. "Cadis Etrama di Raizel."

"Primitus Aienstar." His voice, calm as the night.

The room was muted. Raizel's mind was processing. And an instant, he was caught off guard. 'Why did I say my name?!'

Primitus was silent. Silently laughing. His lips, curving to a small grin.

"You, that was mind control." The anger in his speech was minimal in contrast to how he wanted it to be voiced out. He knew that he can't raise a tone to this man named Primitus. Maybe it was just the work of mind control. That or personal restriction.

A knock echoed in the room. "Master, some guests have come." He paused. "Nobles looking for a 'runaway' young noble."

Raizel was on high alert. 'They're fast.' Or he just took too long in knowing the person in front of him.

When he returns to his mansion, he'll get an earful of sermon. Certainly no one wants that.

Now, he is left with a chance to confront his pursuers or he could still hide in the mansion he's currently in.

"Shall I grant them entrance, lord?"

"NO!" An instant reply. But the one who answered wasn't the man in question.

"I don't remember asking you, little runaway." The butler didn't take a minute to think of an answer. It was a rough call especially when it's human and noble conversation.

"You impudent-"

"It's what he said." Primitus didn't hear what Raizel was supposed to say. It was swallowed by his mellow-like voice.

The servant took in some air, trying to inhale some determination for his reply. "Not to question your orders, lord, but-" He took a second breath. "I believe it is not wise to shelter that child."

Primitus stood still with hands slipping to the pocket of his long-black coat. The wind got stronger causing the ruffles on his chest to dance with it.

He sighed as though releasing himself of the current problem. "Welcome them."

From behind the door was a breath of relief. "As you wish."

Raizel can't believe it. His last cover was blown. "Why did you let them in?"

Primitus wasn't the type to answer to questions that had obvious answers. He turned a deaf ear and bore his eyes through the wilderness

'And why are you looking at that small window like you can actually 'see'?' His questions seem to be more confusing as he thought of answers. Raizel can't read a reaction from Primitus.

"It'll rain soon."

A not-so-audible 'huh?' was on Raizel's throat. After that, the door opened that caused Raizel to suddenly turn back.

Two nobles came forward wearing a black hooded mantle. "Primitus-nim." Both of them bowed.

The small gesture of loyalty shot Raizel with impact. 'Such formality. Could it be-' There are two beings that govern the nobles as he learned from his teacher. First, the symbol of authority, the Lord that he knew was an old fart with a twisted personality and the other, the symbol of power… '-the Noblesse!'

He was surprised at his own answer. He never saw the Noblesse, not even on annual meetings. He didn't expect it to be Primitus who looked like he was only 500 years old or so. 'Looks can be deceiving as they say.'

Primitus raised a hand. The nobles stood-up. One tilting his head downwards. "We're very sorry for the sudden visit, Primitus-nim."

The other followed. "A young noble suddenly ran away in the middle of his class and we were tasked to bring him back."

Just like a choir, both of them were now synchronized. "We truly apologize for his intrusion."

Raizel didn't retaliate. He had no energy once that he found out that he was talking unabashed to the Noblesse. As he reminisced every word that he uttered up until now, the only comment he can say for himself was 'inelegant.'

"It's fine." Primitus sighed.

The nobles held Raizel in the middle of their formation like a criminal being escorted to jail. "Then, we shall take our leave."

All of them turned about-face. Faust ushered them to the door.

Primitus opened his mouth. "Raizel."

The boy froze. It was voluntary. No mind control was on him. He turned to display some respect he didn't care to show earlier.

Primitus broke to a smile. One that made Faust and Raizel widen their eyes. "Next time, you'll get an answer."

'Answer?' Raizel thought. He had so many questions so, which one was he talking about?

'Next time?' Faust almost face-palmed.

With that, Raizel and company got out of the mansion.

'To think he was the Noblesse...' He was hard on himself for not realizing this sooner. 'That was inelegant of me.'

He walked along with his companions until they reached the entrance of the Etrama mansion. As he took another step, he felt a drop of liquid touch his right hand.

He gazed at the night sky. Droplets of rain poured down slowly but gently on his face. It rained. Not too hard nor too softly. 'It's as he said.' His amazement seemed to have made him forget that he was about to be soaked wet.

'Maybe I will come again.'

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**AN**: It's hard to put a dream into words. *sigh* I hope I wrote it right. I'm free for comments, suggestions and bad reactions. It really depends on you guys if I would continue this story/farce.

P.S: I'm still waiting for my potatoes.


	2. Secundus

**AN:** So yeah, I'll continue this like you asked... Hope you all would like it. PM or review if you think something's inconsistent. It would help me big time. =)

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A bang from a book closing elapsed from within a room with nothing but shelves, books, a study table, and a chair. The two hundred year old Noble sat in the chair as he internalized his intentions after his studies. The red-velvet curtain that swayed with the wind seemed to have caught his eye. Outside was a normal peaceful forest. A scenery that caught Primitus' interest.

Raizel stared at it. 'What was he trying to see?' The forest danced like it was answering Raizel with its particular action. If a poet saw this, he/she would have wrote a hundred poem in one go.

'Maybe I should ask him myself...?'

xxxXXXxxx

The mansion was still as silent as when he left it. Raizel walked pass many doors which he knew was empty and clean.

"You're here again, little noble?" Faust accusingly said from behind the dark corridor.

"..." Raizel can't seem to get on an agreement with the butler. His stance, his aura and his way of speaking. Something was telling the noble that that the guy was dangerous. "Get lost, human. I plan to greet the Noblesse."

'This little brat...' Faust was beginning to boil his own blood. He sighed to let out some steam. "Then please follow me." He showed some courtesy to the guest.

Faust walked ahead of Raizel. Both of them were in a Cold War so to speak. With every step was a deep glaring dagger from Raizel. And for every step was a dark gleaming aura from Faust.

The human halted his movement to Raizel's angst. He readied himself.

Faust knocked at the door. "Master. You have a GUEST." The roughness in his voice was focused on the word 'guest' like he was cursing it.

Raizel twitched an eye. He felt the animosity Faust had for him. 'This human...'

"Enter."

The minute he received command, Faust opened the door. As a butler, he must have the courtesy to escort the guest inside the room. This must be done WITHOUT an ounce of malice and anger.

"Here is the LITTLE guest, my lord."

Raizel, in his last draw of patience, brushed him of and greeted. "It has been a week, Noblesse." He tilted his body to a 24 degree bow. This time, he was formal. No sharp tongue and no impudent strikes.

Quiet. For one second, everything was in absolute silence. The Noblesse, who was a royalty of blood, stood there with his head up high. Per usual, he was complementing the view with his unseen eyes.

"Too formal."

There was a voluntary 'pfft' right after the short message. The suspect was Faust. He was the only one who can do it in that situation. "If I remember correctly, he had less mannerisms of respect, lord." The smile on his face was getting wider in each word. He was an S. He clearly is.

"I offer my sincerest apology for that." The boy didn't loose an inch of composure. Cool and collected, he accepted his own mistake.

Faust was speechless. The 'fine-it's-my-fault' personality was news to him in every way. At first glance, the noble was a childish brat with zero flexibility. 'There's more to it than just that huh...is that why master is interested in this brat?'

Restless wind gusted from the open window. It highlighted the man that was momentarily enjoying the plain scene of greenery and land. If anyone saw this, they would call it idiocy. A blind, or maybe blind-folded, person was viewing a really mediocre scenery. What blasphemy could he see with that black piece of cloth on his eyes?

The boy who thought as such was curious for an answer. "Just what exactly can you see in a blind fold?" He was lead to a trance and suddenly blurted out the words. He involuntarily clasped shut his own mouth. He didn't mean to actually voice it out.

A short sigh plagued no answer. It was a sound that said 'what a stupid question'. "I'll prepare some tea." Faust stepped a foot backwards. "Does the guest have something he wants?" He glanced to his shoulders.

"Nothing in particular." It was a rasp answer but that was it.

Faust smiled like he was trying to swallow a large part of his pride. "Nothing it is." He walked out with a soft bang to the door.

"Blue sky, emerald forestry, the infinite land,-" Charisma overwhelmed Primitus' voice. His slight pause was to take a look at Raizel that was awe-stricken by the sudden answer. "-and the incomprehensible world."

He didn't know how to react. He wanted to say a big 'what?' and 'huh?' right before the guy made the second phrase. But as he reconstructed his thoughts, he found all the phrases to be...inadequate. 'He says he can see normally?'

Primitus was smiling softly to agree to Raizel's sudden thought.

"How?" The bottled curiosity overflowed.

"Hey wait!" Faust's distressed tone came from beyond the room. He was having trouble obviously.

"Primitus-nim!" A boy's playful voice echoed along with an open bang from the door.

Blonde, long haired, black clothed noble with an idiotic smile. His bright face was a spreadsheet that says his life was happy. "Oh..."

A fateful meeting. Both lads stared at each other like they were Romeo and Juliet. Eyes wide, wind swaying their hair. To set the facts straight, they were both surprised that someone other than themselves were meeting the noblesse in secret.

Faust caught up with less effort. "I apologize, master. He wanted to see you so badly that-"

One hand was raised to him. It was like Primitus was trying to say 'it's alright' plus a smile to make it more obvious. "Why are you here, little one?"

The child broke his eye contact with Raizel with a twitch to the shoulder. "Right, watch this." He skirted a turn to Faust. The glare he had wasn't fading. "Faust," the boy deepened his tone to a command. "Kneel."

The butler was having the pressure of his lifetime. A literal pressure with a capital P. 'This is-' His knees were starting to bend. '-mind control?!' He fought the never existing downward force with sheer willpower. 'It's strong...!' It was exceptional. Actually in the level near Faust's tolerance. The desperation not to prostrate was in his mind. He'll never bow to anyone other than his lord.

Seconds passed and nothing happened to Faust except drop a sweat. "You're really underestimating me." He stood straight. The eyes of silver sparked with an unknown emotion. "Do you really think I'll kneel to someone other than my master?"

"Eh?" The nameless noble scratched a part of his head. "I'm sure it was powerful enough to get a clan leader to kneel." He rubbed his chin to his confusion. A mere human resisted his mind control. That only meant it wasn't strong enough to make a human fall to their knees. Or maybe not strong enough to make Faust kneel.

'Wh-what's with this noble? To be able to use mind control in that level...' Raizel eyed at him. Long blond hair. He was sure he had seen the same before.

The furrowed eyebrows he had meant that he has already realized that he was surrounded. Surrounded by unique individuals(trying to excluded Faust). The Noblesse. A human that can resist mind control. And the newest arrival that he speculated to be the-

"Son of the Lord." Primitus patted the child's head. "It was indeed exceptional." He seemed amused by the fact that the young noble could muster up a mind control that powerful. "But what you need to rely on isn't power...but authority."

Both Raizel and the noble were dumbfounded. They didn't get it. 'How do you even rely on authority?' They thought in the deepest.

Primitus heard their question with no effort. "Faust."

"Yes, master?" He was slightly caught off-guard by the sudden call.

The kids were also struck by a large question mark. They knew he was trying to do something.

"Can you get us something to drink?"

""Huh?""

"At once, my lord." He followed the order without a single question and exited the room.

"Now I ask." Primitus looked at Raizel and the Lord's son respectively. "Why did he follow my order?"

It was an easy question that the noble answered. "Isn't it because you said so?"

"But he didn't need to follow it. He could have said 'No, I can't.' bluntly to save the trouble."

Raizel can't see were the conversation was heading. "You're his master. Why would he disobey a simple..."

""..."" They went silent before he could even finish the sentence. 'Authority...' They felt like they cracked a beginner level sudoku that had a confusing answer.

Primitus was pleased as he saw both of them get an answer. "Power creates fear. Authority creates respect." He walked back to the small window. "But to have authority, you need power." From his pocket were two coins with the same designs. The front had a cross-like insignia while the back had hieroglyphs of unknown language.

"In order to be respected you need to be feared." He flicked the two coins to the children.

Raizel held the coin with the insignia of a cross. The Lord's son had the hieroglyph that he tried to read. They were dazed. They each looked at their own coin without flipping it.

"Is that why there's the Noblesse and the Lord?"

Primitus chuckled to the nameless royalty. "Who knows..." He spoke to the window that welcomed his words.

What is it that he was gazing at? He said it was the beautiful world. But to look closely, it's as if he's trying to search for something. 'Something that we can't see...' Raizel held on to his feeling of sympathy.

The doorknob clicked open. Faust was pushing a tea cart with a fresh aroma.

"...Silver needle white tea..." Raizel disclosed the name of the tea in service.

"Hou, you know something after all." The butler handed out the tea cups to each individual.

Something within Raizel snapped. Probably his tolerance for the human butler.

"I know I've said this many times but-" The noble sat on the sofa to the right. "-aren't you getting bored? I mean, always staying here looking at that window and not coming out except when the Lord calls you?"

Raizel was stunned to here the words. 'He only sets foot outside when the Lord calls him?' If it was anyone else, they would have killed themselves in boredom.

Faust was despondent. He had said the same things more than a million times already. But every time he did, he seemed to be the one losing the debate.

"You should address him as father not 'the Lord'." Primitus changed the subject.

"Hmph, that old man is getting corrupted by the second." He raised his tone to . "My "father" has been busy terrorizing the humans behind your back. So it leads me to think that why aren't you doing anything, Noblesse." His anger was quiet visible as he stomped his palms to the table. "You know what he's doing is violating the rules, right?"

"Terrorizing...the humans...?" Raizel tried not to gulp his surprise. He thought that he shouldn't be hearing these words. The emotion stirring up inside of him was a new feeling. "...that's just..."

"Boredom can do many things." He glared at Raizel.

"!" His red eyes pierced through Raizel's body. No doubt about it, the noble in front of him was the son of the Lord.

Primitus was dropped to silence. He knew about it. The current Lord was doing something behind his back. He knows that the Lord was scheming a large plan by using the humans. He looked at his hand. It was pale. Almost white as silk but surely, it was drench in the blood of nobles that tried to stray from the path by abusing their power.

"Your tea."

""...""

"It'll get cold."

""...""

The conversation was, thus, ended.

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**AN: **I don't know how to end a chapter so yeah hate me. I'll continue their conversation in the next chap so don't throw potatoes at me just yet.


	3. Tertius

The teacups were half empty. Its fresh aroma gone from the room. Both nobles finished their drinks and dropped their cups to its rightful places. The sound of porcelain to porcelain clashed throughout.

"Enough side tracking. I want an answer. Now." The impudence in his voice was heard by the room and everyone in it.

"Watch what you say, brat." Faust glared at him. "Even if you're the son of the Lord, I won't let your spoiled act go unnoticed."

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do? Curse me?" The little Lord raised his voice to be taunting and provocative.

A sinister aura escaped from Faust as he smiled sadistically. "Why don't we try doing that?" A strong gust brushed his hair. His eyes flashed a silver hue for a split second.

'What was that?' The most normal noble in the room pondered. 'Did his eyes just…' Raizel took a minute's glance. It was the same emerald green shade. 'Was it my imagination…?'

The two antagonistic presences battled in the little study room. The Dragon and Lion held their stances, glowered at each other and continued bad-mouthing the other.

"Lowly Human."

"Accursed Noble."

"Shitty Butler."

"Spoiled Brat."

They were getting louder and irritated by the second. Just a bit more and everything in the room would turn into ash and dust. Intensity was beginning to build up in the room.

Raizel can feel the dense air of malice all over the study. 'Isn't this getting out of hand?' He gulped the tension down to his throat. He knows that he can't do anything between them. His strength isn't at full bloom yet. He was too young. Only at 200 years old.

Primitus blended himself with the silence of the outside setting. The answer was lying in wait on his mind. "Would you want me to force your father to sleep?" Somehow, his voice sounded a little off the tone. As if not wanting to say the words.

Raizel felt the heaviness of Primitus' verse. He can't distinguish whether the heaviness was because of the Noblesse's reluctance to kill or something else that was obviously beyond his understanding.

The two men were stopped by the sudden answer-like question. "Isn't the answer obvious?" The little Lord was saying 'Yeah, I want him dead.'

Raizel grated his teeth. A nerve was stricken within him. "Is that really what you would like to happen?!" He slammed his hand to the table; unable to control the abrupt rise of his anger. "Are you seriously saying that you want the Lord, your father, dead?!" He emphasized the 'your father' part with all his might. He wasn't angry because the guy wanted the Lord dead. He was angry mainly because he was confused. 'Why would you want your own father dead?!' The teacups shook. Raizel's anger was starting to form.

The Noblesse heard every stressed word that Raizel uttered. His face didn't show it but the awe for the noble was on his mind. After a second, he reverted back to reality. "I'll ask again." Primitus held a deeper, much serious, voice. "Would you have me kill your father?"

The heir to the throne was irritated to have to repeat the sentence. "I'll say it again, I-" He stopped in mid-sentence. The bantam Lord stared at Primitus' figure with dumb stricken eyes. Bullets of sweat formed on his cheek. He can feel power from Primitus.

Raizel also felt it. He can tell that the power was emanating from the one gazing at the scenery of the forest. The hair all over his skin was raising. The goose bumps finally started. 'Even though he's not doing anything….'

"If you believe that what you are saying now is what's right. Then I believe we have nothing more to discuss." Primitus took a step back from the window. His head was focused on the future Lord. Even without eyes, the aura that he was oozing out was as clear as day to Raizel. Saddened. "I'll fulfill my duty as the Noblesse."

'Master….' Faust lowered his eyes like a defeated dog.

Raizel was astounded. He wasn't capable of speaking right at the moment. Mercy and Justice are fighting behind his mind. If the Lord was indeed doing the wrong, then justice must be served. But the Lord is a father to a child who is now saying that it is right to kill his own father. 'Something's not right…' He contemplated to the thought with a usual off-the-world gaze. '…Is this really the solution for such a problem?'

"Then done it is." The heir stood defiantly. He walked pass Faust as though he was nothing but litter in his way. He paused after opening the door feeling nothing but the dampness of his choice. "Thanks for the tea." His empty words of gratitude went for Primitus while coldly staring at the empty hallway. "The coin that you gave…I'll surely fulfill its role that my father neglected."

The door shut close and everything went into silence.

'The coin's role.' Raizel gazed at the cross insignia and then back at the door like the kid was still there. 'Just how will he do it?'

Primitus took his time looking at the young noble. "You should return as well, Raizel." He said with little worry. "Today's rain will be strong." The winds rushed in furry as though it was proving the Noblesse correct.

"But-"

Faust furrowed his brows with the usual tint of unmasked annoyance. The want of Raizel's quick departure was there.

Raizel stole a minute to think about leaving and took it as a hint. "So you're really going to do it…" His voice was close to a whisper.

Faust's eyes were in heat with a low growl to Raizel. "I believe this is none of your business."

For a heartbeat, Raizel felt a sudden threat. Something unnatural occurred in his field of vision. He saw how Faust's eyes turned from Emerald to Silver. 'So it wasn't just my imagination.' He knows that humans can't do that. Not unless… "You…." He hissed. "You're one of THEM."

Silence was on killing spree. The whistling wind and the fluttering of the curtains diverted their ears to the topic. Primitus, who was still staring at Raizel, breathed a low sigh. Tired at the quarrels happening thus far.

"What if I am?" Faust had enough of playing goody-goody. Part of his voice became venom-wrapped frustration.

Eyes brighter than crimson flared in Raizel's. "THINGS like you disrupt peace." A fist formed in his side and red lightning-like aura enveloped it. "As a noble, I have the responsibility to eliminate those who disturb the peace."

The butler didn't respond. Wind was becoming stronger on his side like it was supporting him. "Eliminate you say?" The sadistic grin went creepier. "Why don't I see you try?" Faust provoked him with a come-at-me finger.

That was the last straw. "Damned-"

"ENOUGH." A voice filled with power and a never-before-heard ire entered the entire room. The windows created a breaking sound and wooden furniture had visible cracks. The blast of wind was heavier on Primitus' side. All this happened in just a spit of his word.

The separate factions went into feared reconciliation. To Raizel, it was his first time to hear Primitus' voice on that tone. It had supremacy in it. '…as expected of the Noblesse…' He swallowed. He turned his head to his adversary only to be surprised.

Faust was bowing deeply with a hand to his left chest. "I acted out of my station." His face had the tint of pain and bottomless apology. "I'll accept any punishment there is from my misbehavior."

Light flashed from behind Primitus. The sky roared that signaled a vicious storm. It wasn't raining. Not yet.

"Escort Raizel to his home." He leaned on the desk, not giving the order another thought.

"…Understood." A bit of unwillingness was traced.

Raizel volunteered to speak his mind out. "I can go by myself." His back faced Primitus. The doorknob was within his reach.

Faust beat him to it with incalculable speed. "I'm not the type to go against orders." He opened the door. "I hope you don't make me disobey his words." The way he worded it was somehow pitiful.

The noble continued to frown at him. He can't agree to the butler's very existence. A being that traded his very humanity for knowledge. Knowledge that was attained through human sacrifices. A demon. 'Primitus-nim, why keep such a dangerous man by your side?' He looked at Primitus for one last time.

A smudge of grin was on his face. Primitus must have heard Raizel's question loud and clear.

The 200 year old noble saw it, thinking that it wasn't the answer to his question. 'I don't get you…' Raizel stepped out of the room. Faust followed suit with a bow to his master.

The door finally closed shut for the last time.

"Maybe you will, someday." Primitus stood straight. Hands on the pockets of his well-ironed slacks. He was facing at the window that was at least two meters away from him. He's expecting something to come. Something unwanted.

For an instant, the silence was nerve-wracking. The second instant, the windows broke soundlessly. Black lightning mended its way to the Noblesse's front. A point blank shot out of the forest.

xxxXXXXxxx

"I thought I said I can go home by myself?" Raizel was dashing through the forest at considerable speed.

"Shut it, brat." Faust tailed with great ease. "I'm not doing this for you."

'This demon contractor talks big.' He was calm. Not as hot headed as he was earlier. 'Then again, he's not that anymore considering he's been following Primitus-nim. Surely he has already made a contract with him.'

The sound of leaves fluttering as they come by wasn't pleasing. It made their travel feel like a thousand-year ride. Someone needed to speak.

"…You did that on purpose didn't you?" Raizel waited for an answer.

Faust feigned ignorance on what topic was the noble talking about. "What do you mean by 'that'?"

"Suddenly showing me your true colors so that I won't pry any deeper on the Lord's recent deeds." He set his eyes on the path they were sprinting.

Their shoes met with the ground continuously as they dashed. 'This brat is sharp.' Faust stared at Raizel with no malice. 'Is that one the reasons why master acknowledged him?' He tried to comprehend as to why his master accepted the young Noble to his premises and why does Faust, himself, feels unbelievably accustomed with his presence.

"I think that I've heard your name before." Raizel didn't notice that Faust was in thought. "I just can't remember what you did."

The demon went deeper into his own thought not caring what the Noble even said for the past instances. Seconds passed as his mind went abysmal. 'His attitude of accepting a mistake. How he reacted about that spoiled brat's father. And how he easily he got accustomed to me being "inhuman".' The longer he thought the more he understood.

"…I don't get the Noblesse." Raizel paused and studied his thoughts. "Why would he allow someone with your attitude by his side?"

His ears caught the question. Faust was hesitant to answer as the words hit him like a punch to the solar plexus. It was the question he had wondered for some time now. "Even I don't know." His thoughts wandered. Not knowing that he was answering at Raizel's pace. "When I recognized my own stupidity, I just realized that I was already in his debt." Faust, after a moment, realized that he had said something unneeded. 'Why am I telling this to this brat?'

His eyes widened as though he just found an eye-boggling discovery. He knows that he wasn't obliged to answer that question but he did. Like he was under an unconscious mind control. He just looked at the back of Raizel and stopped his tracks. 'Don't tell me this little noble is….'

Raizel went still when he realized that Faust stopped. "What's wrong?"

Faust didn't pause a thought. "Didn't master give you a lecture about the roles of the Lord and the Noblesse?"

"What are you-"

"Just answer me."

The boy was hesitant to answer. The topic just came out of nowhere. "…That's correct."

"Did you get something? Like a symbol or somewhere close to that?"

"You mean the coins?"

'So there was.' His curiosity went inquisitive. "What did you get?"

"You know, this is nonsense." Raizel snatched the coin in his pocket. "It was this side that I got." He held out the cross symbol.

'The cross. Master has a necklace like that.' Faust held hard about it. 'The Lord's role already belongs to that spoiled prince. If I think it like that then things add up.' He scowled at Raizel. 'It's true that the Noblesse's power isn't hereditary like the Lord's…' His eyes are turning daggers. 'Does that mean Master has already planned something?'

"Hey!" Raizel was beginning to boil his head off. "You ask me of random things and now you stay silent. Just what are you plotting?"

To a sudden act, Faust snapped his fingers.

A mansion gate was now in front of them. The forest they were dashing-in a moment ago felt like it didn't exist. An abrupt teleportation.

"There," The escort said arrogantly. "I've accompanied you to your home."

Raizel was still in jet lag to retort at the tone.

"I hope you don't come back sooner." Faust bowed. "Well then, have a good night." He snapped for the second time.

The wind's howl was a nice effect. Raizel was unable to step a foot. He looked to his back and Faust was already gone. No one to explain how they got their in a single flick of a finger. 'That guy…' Raizel heaved a sigh. 'He lacks manners.' He gave an eye to his hand. The coin was there as well as its insignia. '…I'm not inclined to this design.' He gripped it and stashed it. The feeling of receiving an important gift was there right in his pocket.

xxxXXXxxx

Faust was instantly at the Noblesse's door. He was vacillating to knock knowing what he did earlier but his discovery of Primitus' plan was more important than that. "Master, may I come in?" He knocked.

It was noiseless. Faust was now in near worry. He thumped the door twice. "Master?"

Still no answer. Now he was sure that something was wrong. He held the doorknob silently like a thief and matched his ears against the wooden door. There wasn't a sound inside except for the wind's gust. The door opened with Faust's forceful entry.

"What the?!"

Tattered books were scattered on the ground. Its shelves were missing some parts that flew somewhere in the vicinity. Sofas in crestfallen view. Primitus' desk was now an unidentified wooden debris. It was a total trash. But after all that, that wasn't what Faust's eyes was aiming at. He went near to the object of his eye and knelt at it for further investigation. It was a black piece of cloth.

"This is master's…" The loyal servant clenched a fist and gritted his teeth. What he had on his hands was something Primitus wore at a normal basis. His blindfold.

Wind crashed at the room with potency. The study became more chaotic as the gale formed around Faust. His eyes were in complete silver. A mark that he is in widespread anger. "Someone dared to target him." He stood up and gripped the blindfold. His unnatural silver eyes wandered across the room. As he noticed, the cracks weren't deep enough. "Judging from this mess, it's a long range attack." Now his vision was on the window. "And the only entrance of an attack like that is this window. A planned assassination, huh…"

Faust stared at the blindfold that was now floating by his right hand. 'Is that the reason why Master made me escort that Noble?' After the thought, he went back to the real topic. 'Anyways, I have to find master. I'm sure it would be easy in this tiny island.' He closed his eyes for maximum concentration. The vision of the forest was filling his mind. 'Just a little explosion is fine…' Visualizations of the forest's silence was there. Then an unusual sound of the ground crumbling was received. 'Found it. South East from here.'

Before he made further actions, the blustery weather outside distracted him. _"Today's rain will be strong."_ He remembered Primitus say so. To Faust, the rain was an ill omen. Something was going to happen.

"I hope I make it in time…" He snaps a finger, finally vanishing from the vandalized room.

* * *

**AN: **So here it is. Sorry it took soooo long and some words are too redundant. But I hope you enjoyed it~ Please do tell me if there's something inconsistent... i don't like inconsistencies. =))


	4. Quartus

He snapped a finger. His feet was currently floating, with the wind's assistance, above the forest. 'Here.' He looked at every direction.

It was silent in there. Not even small explosion was up-to-the-minute. 'But I heard-!' Faust felt a sudden movement. Below his floating figure, leaves were rustling. He formed blades of wind aiming at the rattling bush. Then, a piercing pain disturbed his senses. Like a spear forcefully stabbed in him. Blood oozed out from his, now, nonexistent heart. A hole made by a point blank shot.

"Urk-" The iron taste of blood made its way to his taste buds and out to his mouth. 'W-what…' His eyes made its way to the hole in his body. His hands trembled whilst touching his critical injury. The noise of moving leaves stopped and out came a man inhaling all the air he could get. '…A…human…?'

"What? That was it?" An unknown voice was in the shadows.

'A…long range attack…' Faust heard the feminine voice from beyond the shadows. '…and that voice…' Faust's body fell to the ground with a harsh thud. His sight was fooling him to a blur. He clenched a fist for the final time. '…damn you….Glenda…' Then it opened to a palm. He wasn't moving. Not even a final huff for dear life.

"How boring~" A lady with long crimson hair went out of hiding. A black sniper-like riffle was laying at rest on her right arm. The blast of cold air dishevelled her black-leather-military-like outfit below her brown mantle. She clipped her hair to a fix and saw the inevitable casualty. "…Eh…?"

Glenda stared blankly at the scene her eyes were witnessing right at the moment. Her eyes looked left and right frantically as sweat ran down her cheek. Two male humans were in the vicinity. One of these men was someone she knew but not that well. The other one was supposed to be shot right at the heart if her memory served correct.

"Errrr…Wrong target….?" She was trying to play dumb as if no one died from her shot earlier. She lightly scratched her itching head while thinking of ways to understand the current situation.

"Ggrrrraaaahhhh!" The scream came from the human male with scarlet eyes. Saliva and sweat were all over the madman's face without a care for personal hygiene. He wasn't yelling due to adrenaline of being in danger. He was yelling because it was his instinct. Instinct to kill any living being he sees. The man jumped at Glenda with his fangs out in the open. No strategy was behind the attack, just plain instinct.

"Tsk. Noisy mutant." The riffle was pointed to the man at a flashing speed. Glenda's eyes glinted with a red hue. "Die." Her index finger pulled the trigger, with no moment of consideration.

The guttural sound of pain was audible to anyone in the vicinity, and then it went quiet. There was a gaping hole in the mutant's torso, straight to the heart. It wasn't a little bullet hole made by an ordinary gun. The hole was as large as a fist. Anyone would die if hit in any part of the torso. The madman crashed head first. It doesn't take a smart deduction to say that the mutant was done with.

Without remorse, Glenda went near the corpse and kicked it with, at least, minimal strength. "Damn iiiitttt!" She angrily cried to the skies. Agitatedly, she eyed on the other corpse with unusual white hair. It wasn't moving at all, to her dismay. "What should I do? Hide the body? Cremate it? Feed it to wolves?" She bit her fingernails with all desperation. She wasn't thinking straight anymore. Anxiety that the Noblesse will be angry at her was getting to her mind. "I'll be hated by the Noblesse! Executed! Hanged! Instant Death! Uwwaahhhh!"

"You're as stupid as ever, I see." Coughing and heavy breathes came from the supposedly-dead white haired corpse. Faust was spluttering blood on the ground like it was some excess liquid in his body. "Have you forgotten that I have regenerative abilities?" The bullet hole from Glenda's shot was closing-off at an alarming rate. He made a feel to the closed wound to be sure it was sealed and no blood was spilling out. Faust made a long sigh, thinking how much time he wasted on this incident.

"Faaauustt~ You're aliiivveee~" Glenda was already crying tears of joy to the point of wanting to hug him. She ignored the insult of being called stupid.

'I want to hit this woman, but I've wasted too much time here.' Faust stood-up after some staggering. His dirtied and holed clothing showed a part of his bare chest. He, then, glared at the Clan Leader. "Have you seen my Master?"

"The Noblesse?" Glenda turned to a surprise question while snivelling. "Shouldn't you be the one to know?" She dropped her guard unconsciously as her gun laid low. There was a reason to lay low her guard. The Noblesse in topic was something she always took at heart. Other than Primitus being the secondary power in the island, he was also someone whom she'll disobey any order for.

Faust's predator eyes stayed firm. He was inspecting the riffle that the girl was holding. 'The one that assaulted was a long range attacker. She might just be playing dumb right now but…' He also understood that some risks must be taken at times like this. "Someone assaulted Master at the mansion. I'm currently in pursuit of his tracks…and you're getting in the way."

"Assaulted you say?!" She ignored the arrogant attitude of the butler. She was thinking how it was impossible for any Noble to point his/her fangs on a superior power be it the Lord or the Noblesse.

The cold stare analysed Glenda's reaction. Eyes wide in shock, sweat dripping in suspicion; that's how Faust described her. '…with that response, I doubt she knows anything about Master's whereabouts.' He stepped back, not wanting to sacrifice much of time.

Noticing Faust's movement, Glenda voiced a rasp question. "Where are you going?"

Faust stayed silent. He doesn't know the location of his Master and was planning to look for him blindly. It was a sign of panic on his side. Understanding this, he exhaled to calm himself. "Isn't it obvious? I'll look for my Master." After composing himself, he spotted the human near Glenda. '…a mutant? Here in Lukedonia?' The shock of seeing the mutant made his grasp of the situation indistinct. "Hey, where did this mutant come from?"

Glenda was in the middle of wiping her snot with her mantle. "Huh? Who knows? The Lord just ordered me to kill it." She snuffled for one last time. For the sake of looking like a Clan leader, she cleared her throat, fixed her cloak and made herself look cool.

A brow was raised by Faust. 'The Lord went and ordered a Clan leader to kill a mutant? Just to kill a mutant? Shouldn't this be a job for the lower class Nobles?' Unintentional killing intent was leaking from Faust. 'Just what is that man trying to do?'

To Glenda's eyes, Faust was just glaring at her. She can't seem to comprehend that Faust was deep in thought. "W-w-what are you glaring at me for?" She was fidgeting with her cloak and was hiding behind it. She was definitely feeling the unwanted tension from Faust. "I-if you want an apology then just say it! I'm sorry that I killed you, okay?!" A teardrop was starting to form on the edge of her eyes.

Like a natural phenomenon without a warning, a wild wind swirled from afar. It sent a powerful chill to their spines, like they were about to be killed by a large predator. The shockwave must have been near if both have felt it. The force was so dreadful that it was familiar to both Faust and Glenda.

As though a switch was flipped within her, Glenda narrowed her sight to the source. Her serious uptake of the situation was out of character. "This is…"

"Master!" Faust leapt, short of thinking the what's and why's. Right now, his rational thinking wasn't working properly. The only command on his mind was 'go to that location'.

Seeing Faust in a state of panic, Glenda decided to stick with him. The cold weather wasn't helping her to stop sweating. 'That was without a doubt the Noblesse's power.'

-30 minutes before-

Pursuing the assailant was easy. Primitus only caught him in a second right after jumping out of the window and traveling at least 3 kilometers to where the aggressor was. He didn't knock the guy out for questioning but things didn't turn out as planned either.

"Suicide…" Primitus shifted his head at the blood splatter right in front of him. 'A human.' He went closer to the fully blown corpse. Nothing was left except for blood and some organs. No matter how gruesome it looked, he had no other choice but to gaze at it with a blank face. Then again, he isn't exactly seeing the thing called corpse right before his shoes. His eyes were closed even after his blind fold was blown away by the last attack.

'He made a contract with someone…' He sensed the familiar feeling of a contract from the corpse but he can't seem to pinpoint as to who the assailant was contracted with. Was it a Noble? A werewolf? Or something different? It was like smelling a familiar fragrance but you can't recognize it. '…this one must be a demon contractor.'

The scent of earth was vibrant. A notice from nature that rain is about to come. Dark clouds flickered with lightning and Primitus was not in the mood of noticing it. "What does your master want from me?" He addressed the question to the people behind the trees' shadows.

No one responded for a second. "Our master wishes for your presence, Noblesse." The voice was a man's. His words showed respect while hiding somewhere within the forest.

"And thus an attack?" Primitus stood still with more of his overwhelming aura. The phrase he uttered was enough to crush the morale of an army. He wasn't backing down on showing who was stronger. "Do not play me for a fool." If he opened his eyes for a glare, he would've killed them at a count of one.

The assailants felt for their lives. Their heartbeats were going haywire as they witnessed the visible anger of the Noblesse. At the moment, not a soul dared to answer again.

Primitus' ears caught the restless sounds of their heartbeats along with the wind's howl. Deducing that he scared them, he let out a sigh. He walks a few steps away from the corpse. "Follow your orders and come at me."

The three assassins gulped a bucket of saliva. 'He knows our mission.' It was a far-fetched plan. The three pursuers blending with the shadows were given the mission to eliminate the Noblesse. They knew it was an impossible feat and they also knew for what reason were they given such an order. It was so that their contractor could quantify the ability of the Noblesse. In other words, the originally four-membered pursuers were nothing but guinea pigs.

The three of them knew all this, but a voice behind their minds was refusing to hear such logic. All three aimed at Primitus with their open palms. They were gathering a strange dark light.

"Cheeky idiots." A childish growl entered the dark forest. "You really think you could survive if you did that?" Movements from the bushes can be heard. The sound of rustling leaves was growing closer to the site.

"Arrgh-" A short cry of pain rebounded within the forest. Shortly after, it was followed by another one. The swooshing of the leaves weren't stopping. Only one of the assailants was left. 'Damn! Where is he?!' The last one was getting edgy hearing the fast actions he can't even see. The pursuer was looking left to right as cold sweat dripped from his head down to his feet.

"For the leader of these idiots," The unfinished sentence came from the left. "You're unexpectedly weak." A figure of a child with silver hair appeared from the right. The child's hand was imitating a spearhead ready to pierce a thick load of armor.

"Muzaka, stop."

The youth named Muzaka went to a clean stop as though someone pressed the pause button on his life remote. The leader's throat was painted with a drop of blood flowing from a slash. The guy wasn't dead, though he was sweating rivers while Muzaka's hand was a centimeter near his esophagus. Muzaka stopped voluntarily and no mind control was happening. That was a fact seeing as the young lad was as calm as a lake.

"Are you serious?" Muzaka wasn't budging his hand off the target. "This guy was stupid enough to attack you and you're okay with it?" His silver eyes shone amidst the darkness.

The moonlight revealed a young albino wearing an old fashioned brown mantle. Underneath the mantle was a tattered black tank top with three claw marks and a pair of pants that appeared to have seen real war. His silver hair was at shoulder level with long spiky tendrils. The narrow iris in his silver eyes was a sign that he wasn't human.

Primitus stayed silent. He wasn't the type to say his reasons but his silence was always understood by many.

Muzaka twitched an eye as he understood Primitus' intention. The hand that was ready to pierce the last assassin's neck relaxed and kept low. "I hate that soft side of yours." He stomped his way to a tree and laid his back on it while pouting. 'Hmph. I'm sure that man will attack him in the end, as per the orders of their master. That's the kind of creatures they are…demon contractors…'

"I…" The assailant talked. He got the ears of the young werewolf and the Noblesse. "…would like to return to my master, Noblesse." Saying this was like a death sentence. It was going home empty handed and he knows that the two people in his line of vision won't even let him escape. 'But I can't die here.'

"Hah?" Muzaka gasped in disbelief. He stood straight and closed the gap between him and the assailant. "You, you're a demon contractor, are you not? And your mission was to kill the Noblesse, no?" His pissed face earlier was even more pissed. "You know you can't return without killing him. The consequences of the contract will kill you if you don't."

"…consequences…of the contract…?" The man restated Muzaka's verse. It was the first time he had heard of it. "What are you talking about…?"

Muzaka was dumb-stricken. He knows of the nature of demon contractors. The term demon contract doesn't come from a contract with fanatical creatures like demons. It's a contract done between a human and a non-human. The term 'demon' was used because the contract uses the lives of humans as constraints. It was disadvantageous to humans like a chain to a slave. In exchange for what the human wanted, the human must give his life to the contractor in return. These contractors cannot be traced unlike the Noble-to-human contract due to its unknown ritual. In other words, Demon contractors were disposable pawns for the non-humans so long as they grant the human's wish.

"Muzaka," Primitus called for the young werewolf. "Return to Ellenora."

"Urk-" Muzaka felt the dampness on his back. 'So he knew that the Ellenora-nim was here?' To feign ignorance, he laughed and giggled things off. "Hahaha, whatever are you talking about? I didn't know that Ellenora-nim was here-" He was supposed to finish his sentence with a laugh for a lighter mood, but he felt a large surge of power that prevented him to even breathe some air.

The assailant was experiencing even worse than just breathing difficulties. He was gasping for air while kneeling down to the ground, strength less. Clenching on his red robe was the only thing he could do.

Primitus was, on the other hand, glaring. His right eye was open and was clearly glaring at Muzaka. It was a beautiful scarlet eye of a Noble. However, the intensity of looking into such an eye was heavier compared to other Nobles. It's as if it was sucking your strength wholly. "I said go back Muzaka."

"This isn't like you, Prim"

The voice was an outsider's. A feminine yet powerful voice that sounded like it came from afar. It echoed through the forest. Then, a swish came from Muzaka's side. It was a cloaked woman. A brown haired lady with a boyish haircut. Her eyes radiated a soothing fuchsia that could eye on a kill a thousand miles away. The aura she was emanating was both in offense and defence, perfect. A fitting aura for the Lord of the Werewolves.

The Noblesse covered his right eye with a hand. "Ellenora…" He faced the woman and ignored the assailant.

"I've never seen you this angry before." Ellenora looked daggers on the young pup. She grabbed the boy named Muzaka by the head. "If this boy did anything to upset you, then I'm sorry on his behalf." She plunged Muzaka's head lower so as to look like he was bowing.

"Ow-ow-oww! That hurts!" Muzaka was fidgeting on the hands of Ellenora. The force on his head was like a nutcracker to a nut. He was getting nervous that, if the Lord of werewolves continued to exert more force on his head, he'd be going home without it.

The sound of a fading foot step shattered the seemingly happy reunion of the three.

"Well, there goes the guy." The werewolf lord readied a set of claws. Her sharp canines were detectable as she smiled evilly. "Should I be the one to kill him, Prim?"

Primitus moved his head to point at the survivor. He contemplated to let the attacker go or kill it now. 'Demon contractors… things that disrupt peace, huh?' He remembered Raizel's childish remark about Faust whom he labelled a demon contractor as well as the part where it is a Noble's responsibility to dispose of the demon contractors. 'In the end, responsibility is inevitable.'

The atmosphere changed. The dense air from before came back with an even more condensed feeling. Muzaka was feeling faint while being held by Ellenora on the head. The Alpha seemed fine like the atmosphere was a normal breather. Her eyes were glued on Primitus who was now opening his right eye. 'Every time you open those eyes, disaster always comes, is what you always thought. Are you finally done on running away from that power?'

The man in black trench coat slowly exhaled his anxieties and doubts. 'I didn't want anyone to see this.' His jaws clenched as he prepared his will to make an act. "…Break."

Probably a kilometre away, the noise of spattering and crashing were easy to hear. It wasn't from a body of water that went splashing nor was it from a tree that came crashing. Free falling chunks of meat and blood met the green grounds of Lukedonia. The bones were dislocated and the muscles were visible. The body was broken to pieces while below it was a pool of blood. The body's name was only known as an assailant.

Primitus saw everything since he was the one who did the breaking of the assailant's body. For him, a power of that calibre was normal. It wasn't too much nor was it unnecessary. He needed to stop the surviving assailant and that was what he did.

The two witnesses of the Noblesse's power broke to a cold sweat. As werewolves, they had superior eyesight in the dark. They watched as the recognizable body of the survivor got distorted. They understood that such a display of power meant so little to the man in front of them. If Muzaka can mention a word right now to describe Primitus, it would have been 'monster'.

'Prim, there's no turning back from this.'

* * *

**AR (Author's Rant):** Sorry for the wait and thanks for waiting. W-well...yeah. i probably had some mistakes here and there since i didn't proofread it. The whole story's now in a jumble and i'll be pretty amazed if anyone understood the story so far. Tell me if something is wrong with this chapter...(cuz in my eyes, everything is.). If you want clarifications regarding some details, i'll reply post haste. :)))


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